Heater-brick terminal



Sept. 29, 1925. 1 1,555,337

V. G. VAUGHAN HEATER BRI GK TERMINAL Filed July 20, 1923 WITN ESSES: INVETOR Patented Sept. 29, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VICTOR G. VAUGI-IAN, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO WESTING- HOUSE ELECTRIC &, MANUFACTURING COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYL- VANIA.

Application filed July 20, 1923.

To all 'whom t may cancera:

Be it known that I, Vieron G. VAUGTTAN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of llilkinsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heater- Brick Terminals, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to electric heating devices and particularly to electric heating units.

The object of my invention is to provide a relatively simple and eflicient terminal structure for an electric heating unit.

Iatent No. 1,424,290, to F. F. Forshee, discloses a heater brick for an electric range in which the same member serves to hold the inner end of the terminal bars against the refractory plate and also to hold the ends of a resistor member against the terminal bars. This construction does not permit of the terminal bars adjusting themselves to the co-operating terminal members in case of any misalinement of the latter. It

' is also very hard to determine whether the ends of the resistor wire are clamped tightly, as they are usually located underneath the inner ends of the terminal bars.

Accordingly, the main object of my invention is to provide a construction for an electric heating unit wherein the mounting of the terminal bars against the refractory heater support shall be independent of the means for electrically connecting the ends of the resistor member to the terminal bars. In practicing my invention, I provide a plate of refractory electric-insulatin` mate rial having a resistor member locate in one surface thereof. A plurality of flat elongated terminal bars are loosely held adjacent to the other surface of the plate in parallel spaced relation relatively thereto and the end portions of the resistor member are secured to the terminal bars intermediate the ends thereof.

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a bottom plan view of an electric heating unit embodying my invention, and

Fig. 2 is a view thereof, in side elevation, with a portion cut away to show the mounting of the inner terminal-supporting means.

An electric heating unit 11 comprises a flat disk 12 of a suitable refractory electricinsulating material that may be provided Serial No. 652,663.

with a groove in one surface thereof within which a resistor member 13 is located. As this part of the construction forms no part of my invention, it is not illustrated or described further in detail.

A plurality of terminal bars 14, 15 and 16 are located in parallel spaced relation adjacent to one of the surfaces of the plate 12 and as here shown are located adjacent to the bottom surface thereof. The bar 15 is substantially straight and extends from the center of the plate 12 to a short distance beyond the outer periphery on a radial line thereof. The two bars 14 and 16 are of angular form and have their inner ends located adjacent to the periphery of the plate 12 and their outer ends extend substantially parallel to the outer end of the bar 15.

The outer ends of the terminal bars are located in, and extend through, suitable openings 17 in a terminal member 18 of the type described and claimed in the hereinbefore mentioned Forshee patent. The member 18 is secured against the under surface of the plate by a single metal member 19, of substantially U-shape, the outer ends of which are held by suitable bolts 21 and c0- operating nuts r22. The inner ends of the bars 14, 15 and 16 are provided with a circularly curved end portion 23 within which is located an elongated rivet member 24 that extends through suitable countersunk openings 25 in the plate 12. An annular washer member 2G is provided on the rivet member 24 intermediate its ends and located adjacent to or against, the under surfacel of the plate 12 in order to space the bars 14 from the under surface of the plate.

A cotter pin 27 is provided at the outer end of each of the rivets 24 in order to loosely hold the inner end of the respective bars 14, 15 and 16 on the end of the rivet member 24.

The ends of the resistor member 18 extend through suitable openings 28 in the plate 12 and are secured against the terminal bars by means of short machine screws 29 and co-operating nuts 31, a spring washer member 32 being provided under the head of the machine screw 29 to assist in tightly clamping the end of the wire 13 against the flat surface of the bars intermediate their ends.

The openings 17 in the member 18 are made somewhat larger than the bars in order that these may fit loosely therein. As

hereinbefore noted, the rivet member 24 is loosely mounted in the plate 12-and the circularly curved portion 23 also fits loosely around the rivet member 24. As the outer ends of the Vterminal bars are intended to operatively engage with resilient terminal members, not shown, that are mounted in a supporting structure for the heating unit 11, this loose mounting ofthe .terminal bars permits of adapting the same to any irregularities in ltheposition of the terminal members or any misalinement thereof.

As a heating unit of this type is necessarily subjected .to repeated heating and cooling, during the normal operation thereof, any loosening effect of the nut 31 on the bolt 29 is entirely independent of the means for holding the inner end of the respective terminal bars in their `properoperative positions relatively tothe plate 12.

I have found it relatively `easy to maintain :the operative engagement between `the Lend of the resistor wire 13 and theterminal bais in a tight combination With this construction which was impossible when the same machine screw or elongated rivet 241 was employed 'for purposes of holding the end of the bar in `its proper operative position `relativelyto `the plate andalso for securing the ends of .the resistor member against the ends of the bars.

Various modifications and changes may be made `in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and I desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed Vby the prior art or set forth in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

V1. Aheating unit comprising a refractory rality of flat terminal .bars located adjacent to the other surface of said plateand 4each lhaving one end loosely secured on land supported by one of said rods, and means for securing end iportions lof said resistor to said bars adjacent to the supporting rods.

A heating unitcomprising a refractory plate, a resistor located in one side vof said plate, a plurality of terminal bars Vlocated adjacent `to the other Lside of said plate,

means for loosely supporting one end of said bars from said plate, land .means for con- .necting integral portions of said resistor fmember to said terminal bars intermediate the ends thereof.

4L. In a heating unit, in combination, a

.refractory plate, a resistor located in one surface of said plate, apluralityof terminal bars loosely held in substantially parallelspaced relation to the other surface of -said plate, and means for securing'end portions of said resistor to said bars intermediate their ends.

In testimony whereof, I lhave hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day of July, 1923.

VICTORiG. VAUGI-IAN. 

